Off To Hogwarts
by Lyria Padfoot
Summary: Harry Potter and friends start Hogwarts, but it's a whole new world, one in which the Potters never died... I know it's been done before but PLEASE, PLEASE R/R!!!
1. Prologue: A Different World

A/N: Ah, the formalities... Harry Potter belongs to J.K.R., because sadly I'm not creative enough to make him up myself. Lyria and Casilda, however, *do* belong to me, and Lyndell belongs to herself.  
  
I also need to offer up never-ending thanks and praise to a certain friend of mine by the name of Snuffles... er, Tatt Skywalker (heh, wrong RPG!). Tatt wrote this the first part of the prologue and assisted with the brainstorming session. He is also an RPGing wonder and a wonderful writer himself, and therefore I order you to go read his fanfic. We love you Snuffles!!  
  
And now, on with the show.... (Remember please this first part is Snuffles' doing....)  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The stage at the front of the theater was brightly lit and the crowd was silent. A dignified looking man dressed in a set of fancy robes stepped up to the podium and raised his wand to his throat. "Sonorus," he whispered. Then, in a largely amplified voice he said, "Welcome, fellow witches and wizards. Today we honor our brave brethren – both dead and alive and here with us today -- by awarding them the Platinum Wand!"  
  
The crowd cheered. "Our first recipient is a man of great renown," the wizard announced. "His work behind the lines in the heart of Voldemort's organization paved the road for victory and caught many a traitor *cough* Peter Pettigrew *cough*. Today we honor... Severus Snape!"  
  
The crowd cheered again. A somewhat tall man with greasy hair walked over to the man at the podium.  
  
Fudge shook Snape's hand and gave him an elegant looking award. It was a silverish wand floating in mid air above a hard wood base. The air around the wand sparkled silver and gold.  
  
"Our next recipient is a woman just as renowned as Mr. Snape. We award this next Platinum Wand to the Ministry's top Auror, Lyria Strider-Black!" There were cheers as the young woman walked out onto the stage.  
  
"Mama..." one of the twins Lyria's husband, Sirius Black, held said.  
  
"Wan! Mama get wan!" his sister cried delightedly, clapping her hands. Sirius Black smiled and blushed slightly as the crowd laughed.  
  
Lyria received her wand and came back to where her husband and children were sitting. She gave Sirius a quick kiss and showed the curious infants the award.  
  
"We'd also like to award the Platinum Wand to Lyria's husband, Sirius Black, for his help in the defeat of Lord Voldemort. Sirius risked his life countless times rushing information from Mr. Snape to the Ministry and accompanying his wife, friends and Ministry officials to the front lines of this hard and long battle against evil. Sirius?"  
  
  
  
Sirius smiled and handed the twins willingly over to Lyria. "Dada get wan!" the little girl yelled happily.  
  
"Yeehee!" her brother added.  
  
Sirius accepted his award and came back to his seat. "Take a look at this Orion," he said as he took the infant boy and showed him the award.  
  
Fudge continued. "We also want to give this wand to Mr. James Potter and his wife Lily Potter. Their names shall be remembered for ages. We award them the Platinum Wands for their hand in the final destruction of the Dark Lord. We owe much to all of these brave young people."  
  
James and Lily walked up to the podium and received their awards. Lily smiled as the crowd went wild. Her young son, Harry, looked out at the bright blurry crowd with wonder. James and Lily kissed and walked back to their seats.  
  
The ceremony was soon over. The Potters, Blacks, and Snapes had to be hurried out the back to avoid the crowd of people wanting to shake their hands. Casilda Strider-Snape held her and Severus' son, Salazar, in her arms as the group walked to the back alley. They piled into a magically altered car. In the back were their friends Remus Lupin, his Elven wife Lyndell, and their infant son Jake.  
  
"Congrats guys ... You're celebrities!" Remus said.  
  
"You deserved an award too, Moony," Sirius told his friend.  
  
"They'd never give one to a werewolf," Remus replied, not in the least perturbed. "Besides, I don't need any award... I have Lyndell and Jake. We have a good house, I have a good job ... what more could a wolf boy need?" He grinned.  
  
Everyone smiled, even Snape, which was perhaps as much an achievement as the destruction of Voldemort.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
And here they were, ten years later, Lyria mused. All of them changed in some ways, and yet still very much the same...  
  
Severus and Cassi had four children now, despite Severus being away teaching much of the year. Remus and Dell had Abby to deal with now, but fortunately she didn't transform like Jake did. James and Lily had wisely stopped with Harry.  
  
And of course, you couldn't forget her little family. Orion and Gemini had been joined by Everett, James & Remus, Holly, Polaris, Darione, and Oliver. Quite the collection of children for a pair of Aurors to keep up with.  
  
Orion and Gemini—as well as basically everyone else's oldest—had received their letters for Hogwarts at the beginning of the week, and it was a letter Sirius had received that was the topic of their discussion tonight.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with being an Auror... it's not that," Sirius was saying as Lyria started paying attention again. "I'd just really like to take this position, Lyri."  
  
"You need to be kept busy all the time," Lyria said, an amused smile on her face. "And being an Auror's gotten rather boring."  
  
His expression told her she'd hit it squarely on the head. "I don't want you to feel like I'm abandoning you, either."  
  
"If Cassi's managed three kids all these years, and four now, then I can manage seven." Lyria replied, taking her husband's hand. "If you really want to go back to Hogwarts and teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, I'm not going to stop you."  
  
He squeezed her hand in a sort of thanks and kissed her softly.  
  
Lyria broke the kiss with a mischievous grin. "Just make sure you don't owe McGongall any detentions before the year starts."  
  
He laughed. 


	2. 10 Years Later: Going to School

Harry woke up.  
  
Now *that* was a weird dream. His parents dead, and Uncle Padfoot on the run from the ministry... something about *him* having to defeat the Dark Lord? Weird. He heard a tapping on the window and turned to open it for the owl, only to find his best friend Orion Black on the other side.  
  
"Come on!" Orion yelled. "We're going to Diagon Alley to get our stuff today!! Mum's taking us!"  
  
With that, Harry remembered that within a week, he'd be on his way to Hogwarts for the very first time.  
  
"Who else is coming?" He asked, hurrying to get dressed so he could go eat and they could leave.  
  
"Gemini, and my cousin Salazar, and Jake Lupin... and some Muggle-born girl. Mum volunteered to take her, since her parents obviously can't," Orion explained. "Her name's Hermione or something."  
  
"Why isn't your Aunt taking Salazar?" Harry asked, pulling on a sock.  
  
"She's got to watch the new baby, and she doesn't want to take him. And his dad can't, he's already at the school," Orion informed him. "It's going to be weird learning potions from my uncle..."  
  
"Yeah," Harry sympathized. "And Defense Against the Dark Arts from your dad, too."  
  
"Don't remind me," Orion groaned. "I can't get away from my parents!"  
  
Harry laughed and the two headed to the Potters' kitchen. "Morning, Mum!" Harry called.  
  
"Good Morning, Harry... Hello Orion," Lily Potter smiled.  
  
"Morning, Aunt Lily. How are you?" Orion gave her the winning nice-boy smile that all the ladies of the neighborhood loved.  
  
"Fine, thank you. And thank your mother for taking Harry along with you. Want some breakfast while you're here?" Lily asked. She knew Orion was the local "boy next door" that everyone loved, and he was good at playing the part, but Sirius and Lyria's son was just so... cute.  
  
"Thank you, Auntie," Orion flashed the smile again—his mother always said it was directly inherited from his father—and sat down next to Harry.  
  
"You've got to teach me to do that," Harry sighed.  
  
"Family secret," Orion grinned. "But the first thing I'm doing once we get there is getting the spells to become an Animagus, because I want to learn that."  
  
"Probably the only thing you want to learn," Harry grinned.  
  
"Nah, I want to learn a couple good hexes too," Orion replied. "Let's hurry so we can go!"  
  
They inhaled their breakfasts and scurried out the door and across the street to the Black house. Harry loved going to Orion's house for three reasons. First, there was a big field in the back that they could play Quidditch in all summer if they wanted to. Second, Orion had enough siblings that they only had to invite over Orion's three cousins and the Lupins to get a game going. Third, there was always something going on over there.  
  
Jake Lupin was standing at the door. "COME ON!" he hollered at them. "Everyone just got here!"  
  
Orion and Harry shared a grin and ran into the house.  
  
"Mum!" Orion bellowed. "We're back!!"  
  
"And you're covered in maple syrup," she pointed out. "You'd better change."  
  
Scowling, Orion ran upstairs.  
  
"There you are, Harry. Why don't you head into the living room and sit with the rest of the group," she suggested.  
  
"Sure, Aunt Lyria. Mum said thanks for taking me, by the way."  
  
"Welcome, dear. Now go on, both of you." Lyria shooed Jake and Harry into the other room.  
  
Sitting on the sofa by himself and looking rather uncomfortable being alone with the girls was a tall boy with short black hair and black eyes. "There you are!" He cried delightedly. "I've been stuck here waiting for you all!"  
  
"Sorry, Salazar. Orion had to go change," Jake explained.  
  
"What did he get covered in this time?" Salazar Snape, Orion's cousin, grinned.  
  
"Maple syrup. Mum fed him," Harry smiled back. He hadn't seen Salazar in a long time, but he didn't seem to have changed much.  
  
"Doesn't she know she'll never get rid of him now?" Salazar smirked as Orion bolted down the stairs.  
  
"I heard that!" He barked.  
  
Salazar raised an eyebrow. "That was the point."  
  
Gemini, sitting in a chair, sighed exasperatedly. "Hello, everyone. I'm fine, thank you for asking!"  
  
"Oh, Gemini, bugger off!" sighed Orion to his twin sister.  
  
"Who's your friend?" Jake asked, ever the polite one.  
  
"I'm Hermione Granger," the other girl informed them. "I'm starting at Hogwarts this year as well."  
  
Gemini took over. "Well, you know me, and that's Jake Lupin, Salazar Snape, Harry Potter, and my idiot brother Orion Black."  
  
Lyria poked her head around the corner. "If everyone's ready, we can head to Diagon Alley..."  
  
Six voices cheered and everyone trooped off to the fireplace.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hermione was still recovering from her first use of Floo Powder by the time all of them had arrived in the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
"Is it always like that?" She asked dazedly.  
  
"Yeah, but you get used to it. Can't wait 'til I'm old enough to Apparate," sighed Orion.  
  
"Well you aren't old enough, and no one wants to hear you whine about it," Salazar informed him.  
  
Orion growled at his cousin, but then Lyria arrived and reestablished order. "Come on, come on. Let's go. Wands first, so you all don't start a mutiny."  
  
The group went cheerfully to Ollivander's, where he let them know that he'd been expecting them, much to the amusement of Jake.  
  
"All of us together then?" He'd replied with a grin as Mr. Ollivander handed Salazar a wand.  
  
Soon, Salazar was the proud owner of a rigid dragon heartstring & redwood wand, 12 inches. Jake was up next, and after several tries got a rather bendy oak and phoenix feather wand of eleven and three-quarters inches. Hermione, ever the eager one, went after Jake and found herself with a wand of unicorn hair & willow, 9 ¾ inches.  
  
That left Gemini, Orion, and Harry still in need of wands, and Gemini got one of pine and phoenix feather, ten inches. It took Orion a bit longer, but soon he had a 13 inch long dragon heartstring and cedar wand.  
  
It took fifteen wands before Mr. Ollivander retreated to the back of the store and handed Harry an eleven inch long holly and phoenix feather wand.  
  
"Well done, kids," Lyria grinned as they all trooped out of the store.  
  
The rest of the shopping was rather uneventful—except, of course, for Orion and Gemini quibbling back and forth—and soon Harry was back home.  
  
He crossed another day off his calendar. Five days until Hogwarts.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Have fun, and behave. Send me an owl as soon as you get there." Lily Potter hugged her son.  
  
"Mum! I'll be fine!" Harry managed.  
  
As if being squeezed to death by his mother wasn't bad enough, Dad pulled Harry aside and handed him a parcel. "My friends and I found this stuff pretty useful when we were at school, and... it's time for you to have it."  
  
Harry ripped it open and found a cloak of some sort and an old bit of parchment, but he knew immediately what they were. "Thanks, Dad!"  
  
"Go on. You've got a train to catch," James Potter told his son with a grin. "Mind you behave yourself."  
  
"Yes, sir!" Harry laughed, boarding the Hogwarts Express.  
  
"Don't you go causing trouble." Lyria Black ordered her son.  
  
"Dad'll stop him, Mum," Gemini tried to assure her mother.  
  
"Somehow I doubt that," Lyria replied. "You hear me, Orion? I don't want an owl home every week explaining what you've done this time."  
  
"Of course not, Mum!" Orion said out loud, mentally adding, 'I hope they go home more than once a week!'  
  
Cassi Snape, meanwhile, was confident that her son would be well- behaved. "Have a good term, Salazar. Owl me when you get there."  
  
"Of course, Mother," he assured her. "I'll tell Father you said hello."  
  
Soon enough, the Hogwarts Express left the station... 


	3. Sorting Surprises

A/N: Look, more story! Yay! And thank you and a warm fuzzy granted to the following reviewers...  
  
Jayde: I also love AUs and have several more being planned... heh heh....  
  
MLWiccanGirl: You review everything but you still count =)  
  
TattSkywalker: Yay! Thanks again for your prologue...  
  
LisaMarie: It's okay, dear... See, it's an AU, meaning that's not how it happened. Hence the twins have different names. (Actually, it's so I don't get confused lol...)  
  
Silver Tears: Hey, someone who I don't know personally who reviewed! Yay!! I also loathe Peter, so I can promise you will see him minimally in most of my work, and thank God not at all in this one.  
  
Gumlick the Rickmaniac: Contrary to popular belief, I love Snape. He's great, and I promise lots of him here and also in my next planned out work. =)  
  
And now, off to the story! Disclaimers etc. still apply. (I'm skipping the train 'cause I'm lazy, sorry kids.) Surprises to come as the Sorting Ceremony takes place... and the whole thing's from Snape's POV!!  
  
  
  
The Great Hall was enormous, and it was with a bit of apprehension that the first years entered and proceeded to the front of the hall. Of course, there was also that mysterious minor detail of Sorting, but enough of them knew about it that no one should panic.  
  
From his position at the teachers' table, Severus Snape watched them enter in various states of anxiousness. So many of these children looked like their parents... it reminded him of his own first year. Fortunately, he didn't think Salazar, Harry, and Orion would be nearly as... hostile as he, James, and Sirius had been.  
  
Even after ten years, calling them James and Sirius was peculiar. They had been Gryffindors, he had been a Slytherin, and their disgust for each other had been fueled by far more than house rivalry. When it had come down to the real world, however, they'd had to learn to adjust. Life was never as simple as earning points or serving detentions—when they had graduated, you were more likely to wind up dead that in the Hospital Wing, and somehow how many points you lost your house in your seventh year really wasn't all that important.  
  
Good, he'd been lost in thought for the entire song. He'd noticed in recent years that the Sorting Hat seemed to have run out of material, and the songs became progressively worse.  
  
"Black, Gemini."  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
No surprise there. Anywhere else and he would have been worried.  
  
"Black, Orion."  
  
"SLYTHERIN!"  
  
He nearly fell out of his seat. Sirius and Lyria's son, in *his* house? That was unexpected, to say the least.  
  
More sortings that he felt no need to pay attention to passed by. "Granger, Hermione" became a Gryffindor—his nephew Orion seemed to know her—and "Lupin, Jacob" was naturally a Gryffindor as well.  
  
"Malfoy, Draco."  
  
Lucius' son? Here already? He sighed. No doubt where the boy would be...  
  
The hat didn't even touch Draco Malfoy's head. "SLYTHERIN!"  
  
His eyes narrowed. The sorting hat always was biased. No wonder—it had been Godric Gryffindor's, after all.  
  
"Potter, Harry."  
  
"SLYTHERIN!"  
  
For the second time in the sorting, Severus Snape nearly fell out of his chair in shock. James' son. Was in Slytherin. All along the teachers' table, the staff was in shock, but none more so than he and Sirius were.  
  
A Potter and a Black in Slytherin?? Good Lord, the pranks... it'd be the ruin of his house.  
  
It also brought up the ever interesting question of what would have happened had he, James, and Sirius been in the same house when they were at school.  
  
"Snape, Salazar."  
  
"SLYTHERIN!"  
  
A certain pride went along with that pronouncement. Salazar looked up at him, grinning widely, and Severus nodded and smiled as well, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. With all the unusual placements, he'd been worried for a moment that Salazar would wind up in Hufflepuff or something.  
  
"Weasley, Ronald."  
  
Another one? How many of them were there, anyway? He was starting to lose count... let's see, there had been Charles, and William, and...  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
That was where they always were. It just proved that no matter how curious the Sorting, some things didn't change.  
  
  
  
"And now, let us sing the school song!"  
  
Oh, no. One of these years, he was just going to crawl under the table and die during this. He'd finally escaped it years ago, just to get right back to it as a Professor.  
  
Sometimes he truly questioned his sanity.  
  
  
  
  
  
After the hall was cleared of students and he'd made certain none of them had wandered off and gotten lost, Severus went down to the common room to introduce himself to the first years. He'd always made a point of doing so (although none of the other heads of houses did—how they planned to help their students if they didn't know who they were for the first week was beyond him to understand), and the prefects knew to keep them out of their dormitories until he'd been in to visit.  
  
The familiar stone walls and green hangings greeted him as he entered the room.  
  
Older students were eager to tell him all about their holidays, crowding around, glad to see him. A far cry from his reception when he entered the common room in his school days...  
  
"So these are our first years," he said by way of greeting.  
  
One rather short girl gaped up at him, speechless.  
  
"Hello, Professor Dad," Salazar replied with a grin.  
  
"Yeah, should I call you Uncle Professor or something?" Orion asked.  
  
He hadn't even thought of that. What a bother, half the first years being related to him... "Professor Snape will do nicely in class, if you don't mind," he instructed. "Your names, please?"  
  
In addition to Salazar, Harry, Orion, and Draco Malfoy, there were two rather dull-looking boys named Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. The girls—there were only four—were Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode, Blaise Zabini, and Adriana Chadwick.  
  
After the questions about classes, Quidditch, his part in the war, and everything else his students could think of subsided, he stood to leave. "Oh, one last thing to our first years," he said, looking as stern as he could possibly manage. Apparently it worked, for even Salazar looked rather nonplussed.  
  
"Welcome to Slytherin House," he said grandly, sweeping out of the common room as the older students clapped and cheered. 


	4. Owls From Home

Dear Orion-  
  
Hope you're enjoying classes and making friends. No owls home yet, so I reckon you're behaving. I sent you sweets, and I better hear you're sharing or they'll be the last ones you get.  
  
I was as surprised as everyone else that you were placed in Slytherin, but your father says you're adjusting well. Don't get on your uncle's bad side, you hear?  
  
Everything is fine here, but quiet. Cyrus and everyone miss you both, and not much has happened since you left.  
  
Share this letter with Gemini, and tell her the next owl goes to her.  
  
Love,  
  
Mum  
  
Dear Sirius-  
  
The house is boring and entirely too quiet. The kids miss you terribly, especially the baby. He learned a new word yesterday (please) and is still growing like a weed.  
  
I was glad you wrote to tell me about the kids, and I hope classes are still going well. I laughed at your story, but I suppose it's natural for a Muggle-born to be surprised that unicorns really exist.  
  
I know he's getting on your nerves, but please try to be nice to Severus- he is your brother-in-law, after all.  
  
Love,  
  
Lyri  
  
Dear Salazar-  
  
Congratulations, dear. I knew you'd be in Slytherin, though I'm surprised Orion is there as well. No matter, I'm sure you'll be a little gentleman and help him settle in.  
  
I heard about your trouble in Transfiguration. Your father could only turn things green for all of first year, so I'm sure Professor McGonagall won't be upset with a green needle.  
  
Share your treat package with your friends!  
  
Speaking of friends, be careful around Draco Malfoy. You know what his father was, and Lucius likely passed on those sympathies.  
  
Keep up your hard work, dear- we love you and we're proud of you.  
  
Love,  
  
Mother  
  
Dear Severus-  
  
I know Sirius is aggravating you. According to Lyria, he says the same about you. Maybe you can call a truce?  
  
Everything is as usual here. Jessilyn gets more and more impatient to get to the school, and the baby is growing amazingly fast.  
  
As much as you don't see why Lyria puts up with Sirius, remember, people said the same about us... still do say it, to be honest. Be nice.  
  
Love,  
  
Cassi  
  
Dear Harry-  
  
I don't believe your father gave you the cloak and the map! I'd better not hear of you using them or I'll march right up the school and take them!  
  
I hope you're behaving yourself and doing well. I was quite surprised you're in Slytherin, but I'm sure you'll be a credit to the house.  
  
Don't neglect Jake just because he's not in your house!  
  
Dad says hello and would like to know why there haven't been any owls home yet. Don't listen to him!  
  
Love,  
  
Mum 


	5. The Fun Begins

A/N: I didn't forget this fic, promise! More will come as I go, I'm working on it, but it simply refuses to cooperate. This chapter is a bit odd, please forgive! My friend gave me a challenge to use five things in a fic chapter, and they're here. I promise to pick up with the "real" writing after this chapter, but it's a nice light tone at least.  
  
  
  
Salazar sat in his chair in the Hogwarts library, captivated by the book he was reading, as his three friends stared.  
  
"He hasn't move in two hours," Draco sighed. "If the library came down around him, I don't think he'd notice."  
  
Harry grinned at that. The four of them had become rather good friends over the past two weeks.  
  
Orion staggered -quite literally- into the library, looking asleep on his feet. "I just saw a book over there," he announced.  
  
Draco gave Harry a worried look, "Should we take him to Madam Pomfrey?"  
  
"Nah, he just took a bludger to the head. He'll be okay," Harry assured Draco. "Besides, he's not that different then usual."  
  
"Before you criticize someone, Harry, you should walk a mile in their shoes," Orion scolded, sounding like his mother.  
  
Harry and Draco both looked at Orion.  
  
"That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes," Orion continued with a grin. "Now, what are we talking about?"  
  
"Merely commenting that Salazar wouldn't even notice an explosion," Draco said.  
  
Orion grinned, "Want to make a bet?"  
  
"I'll wear a vulture had and a red dress if you can distract him," Draco replied.  
  
Orion pulled out his wand.  
  
Wham!  
  
An entire bookshelf crashed to the floor. Salazar jumped a foot and a half, his books flying everywhere, and a shelf hitting the back of his head. "What did you do that for?!?!" Salazar bellowed, studiously avoiding the flying monkeys that swirled around his head.  
  
"Just wanted to get your attention," Orion said innocently, turning to face Draco.  
  
Harry cracked up. "Orion, you've got... you've got..."  
  
Orion turned, curious. "Got what?"  
  
"A tail," a familiar voice behind them said.  
  
Harry turned. Sirius- er, Professor Black- and Professor Snape stood there. While his godfather looked amused, his Head of House did not.  
  
Professor Snape cleaned up the disaster with a flick of his wand. "Salazar, take your cousin to the hospital wing to take that tail off. I want to see you four in the common room as soon as possible."  
  
He stalked off, having no ideas how to handle the four of them. No one was hurt, but they had ruined a section of the library and one of his students now had a tail.  
  
The four of them were sitting on the sofa looking anxious as he entered... 


End file.
